    
News Release - January 24, 2007 Contact: Marc Porter Magee "Now is the time to invest in proven models that help ensure every child in our state has access to a quality public education,” declared James A. Amann, Speaker of the House. “I remain convinced that Connecticut’s achievement gap can be closed, and the ‘Great Schools for All’ plan outlines a number of innovative proposals that deserve our consideration as part of an overall approach to seeking educational excellence." Rep. Amann was joined by Rep. Andy Fleischmann, chairman of the House Education Committee, and a diverse gathering of parents and community, business and education leaders from throughout the state at the launch of the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now’s “Great Schools for All” plan in the State Capitol on January 24. Support for the ideas put forth in the plan came from a “who’s who” of Connecticut organizations focused on closing the achievement gap, including Connecticut ACORN, Connecticut Appleseed, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Connecticut Parent Power, the Early Childhood Alliance, and the Greater Hartford Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Justice. “Connecticut’s academic achievement gap falls along all of the fault lines in our state, including race, ethnicity, class, and geography,” said ConnCAN executive director Alex Johnston. “‘Great Schools for All’ is about leveraging targeted investments in proven education reforms to dramatically increase academic achievement among those students traditionally underserved in our public schools.” The “Great Schools for All” proposal, outlined in a 44-page report available at www.conncan.org, calls for investing $1.3 billion over the next six years to:
What People Are Saying About the “Great Schools for All” Plan “My work advocating for education equality in Hartford has convinced me that something must be done to close this gap and make sure that every student has access to a great public school. I was disappointed but not shocked to find that Connecticut’s achievement gap is the largest in the nation. I personally believe that closing Connecticut’s achievement gap is the most important social and economic issue facing us today. ConnCAN’s ‘Great Schools for All’ plan is a great starting point for this change.” - Sharon Patterson-Stallings, Chair of the Board, Connecticut ACORN “The ideas in this ConnCAN report represent leading edge ideas in school reform today. All the ideas have merit, from ensuring that kids get off to a good start in school to proving parents with more choices within public education and empowering all stakeholders with more information. Collectively, they represent a powerful agenda for change.” - Andrew J. Rotherham, Co-Director, Education Sector, Member, Virginia Board of Education, and author, Eduwonk.com “ConnCAN’s ‘Great Schools for All’ plan is grounded in the key education reforms that are getting results across the country: higher standards, greater freedom to innovate, more choices, and increased accountability for results. If enacted, it will give Connecticut a fast start on its goal of closing the achievement gap by raising the performance of all of its schools.” - Michael J. Petrilli, Vice President for National Programs and Policy, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation “While there are many approaches to these problems and there will be inevitable disagreement over specific programs, we commend ConnCAN on bringing a comprehensive set of thoughtful approaches to the debate. We look forward to working with them to move an agenda forward to give Connecticut’s children the equal education opportunity to which they are entitled.” - The Connecticut Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Inc. “Connecticut’s competitiveness in the global economy rests on our ability to close the achievement gap in our public schools—and raise academic standards for all students. That is why CBIA has made public education such a central part of our own legislative agenda. Ensuring that every child has access to a great public school will require the kind of multi-pronged approach embodied in the ‘Great Schools for All’ plan so that we are not only getting all children ready for school but also investing in the best practices and innovative new approaches that get successful results.” - Lauren Kaufman, Vice President, Connecticut Business and Industry Association “ConnCAN’s ‘Great Schools for All’ plan will harness the power of Connecticut’s high performing public charter schools to make significant progress in closing America’s largest achievement gap. By connecting this focus on creating innovative new public schools with the other proven approaches to education reform, this comprehensive approach will make a real difference in the lives of Connecticut’s students.” - Nelson Smith, President, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools “In our parent survey of over 800 parents from across Connecticut, access to affordable, quality early care and education programs was one of our three top priorities. Today we stand with ConnCAN in support of High-Quality Access to Pre-kindergarten programs.” - Connecticut Parent Power “Today, the Greater Hartford Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Justice stands with ConnCAN in support of its plan to close the Achievement Gap by expanding high-quality preschool programs to those who are at greatest risk of academic failure. This year we must continue to expand preschool placements for children in our most stressed communities, and begin to fund quality improvements to the programs. Quality and accountability are essential elements in ConnCAN’s 5-point plan.” - Greater Hartford Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Justice “The Alliance is proud to stand with ConnCAN our newest member in support for expanding access to high quality preschool. ConnCAN has undertaken an ambitious agenda to combat America’s Largest Achievement Gap. The Alliance applauds ConnCAN for recognizing that the Achievement Gap begins with a Preparation Gap. We look forward to working with them in support of access to high quality preschool.” - The Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance # # # | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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